2026 Honda City Facelift Review – Sharper Looks, Same Proven Formula

Honda Cars India Ltd has just launched the updated City facelift in the country which has been one of the most anticipated sedan launches of 2026. It takes on other C Segment sedans like Volkswagen Virtus, Skoda Slavia and Hyundai Verna. For MY26, Honda has given City an all new fascia and a slightly updated cabin.

If you were looking for updates to its mechanicals or powertrains, that is not the case. We drove the new City facelift in its e:HEV (strong Hybrid) avatar in Bengaluru. Honda provided all media publications with a Black colour, which is new with the City facelift. After driving it across multiple scenarios, this is what we think about the new Honda City facelift.

Honda City Facelift Review

Honda City facelift is one of the easiest reviews to summarise because the updates are relatively limited. Some rival brands have launched an update to their vehicles with major sheet metal changes without even a launch or a press release. In terms of pricing, there’s no changes as City facelift continues to be priced between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 21 lakh (Ex-sh).

Colour palette now gets a Crystal Black Pearl shade, which has an all-black vibe with its exteriors. Looking at it in person, it does look stealthy and is vastly appealing. Other colour options to choose from include Radiant Red Metallic, Obsidian Blue Pearl, Platinum White Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic and Meteroid Gray Metallic.

Trim levels are retained from pre-facelift model too. Variant lineup starts from SV, followed by V, ZX and ZX+. The e:HEV strong hybrid model is only offered with top-spec ZX+ trim and gets dedicated features and equipment that non-hybrid ZX+ does not, just like pre-facelift model. Powertrains, mechanicals and overall quality and fit and finish is identical to pre-facelift City.

New Sporty Design

What is new with 2026 City facelift, is its fascia. From being one of those non-offensive vehicles that appealed to almost everyone, City has got a radical transformation. For starters, we now get a sporty vibe with City facelift, which lends it a completely new aesthetic. It does not even look like the pre-facelift model in any way.

Reflective LED headlights in pre-facelift City make way for bi-LED projector headlights that are much sleeker in comparison. They get a sharper LED DRL signature which is split in two elements and double as turn indicators too. For the first time, City gets connected LED DRLs with a light bar in the middle above its new grille.

City facelift has said bye-bye to fog lights and in their place, we now get aerodynamic air channels. Honda logo is not in the grille anymore, unlike every other City ever. Instead, it has been moved up into the bumper element below the bonnet. If you have OCD, City’s front grille is likely to tick you off because it has an opaque element on the left, which is not there on the right side.

At the sides, we now get new design for 16-inch alloy wheels, finished in a dual-tone theme. There’s no real change to City facelift’s side profile other than these wheels. At the rear, we now get reworked tail lights with a clear housing for a smoked effect, while the actual lighting elements inside it are the same. Rear bumper is now much sportier with a faux diffuser and adding more sportiness is a subtle rear spoiler.

Updated Interiors

Interiors of the City facelift has been slightly updated too and there is a bump up in equipment too. For starters, Honda is offering a new Black and Ivory dual-tone theme, which used to be Black and Beige before. These Ivory elements can be seen on dashboard trims and on seat upholstery and armrests.

Garnering immediate attention is the new 10.1-inch infotainment screen which supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This screen stands out, quite literally and sort of looks like an after thought. Angle of the tilt for this display introduces a lot of glare and this display is just not bright enough to overpower this glare. The UI is quick, but the software looks like it is aftermarket.

Audio system is decent with acceptable levels of low, mids and high frequencies, but we wished the sound was a little fuller than it is. Instrument cluster is the same as before, with a semi-digital layout. TFT MID shows a host of informatics including ADAS related function. The addition of 360-degree camera is welcome, but the resolution and execution of this system, leaves much to be desired. We liked the tactile and clicky buttons on steering wheel and on centre console.

Speaking of centre console, we now get ventilated seat function flanking the climate control panel. This is the first mainstream Honda to get this feature and it boasts three blower speeds. Blower sounds are well controlled and do not sound like the car is taking off, but this corresponds to weak cooling performance, leaving us wanting for a faster yet noisier blower. Wireless charging pad and paddle shifters, auto headlights and wipers are present too.

Rear Seat Experience

At the rear, things are almost identical for chauffeur-driven audience. Which is a good thing, where space and comfort is concerned, but a bad thing because all the downsides are carried forward. So, the headrests are still not adjustable and centre armrest is still not supported and flops down for an uncomfortable arm position.

We wished Honda had offered rear window shades, instead of the rear sunshade. City facelifts offers two Type-C charging ports for rear audiences. Boot space is the same as before, which is 506L in capacity. Being a sedan, City facelift does not have a high load lip and the loading aperture is also quite wide. However, Hybrid e:HEV variants get a smaller boot, making space for EV components.

Powertrains & Driving Experience

Where powertrains are concerned, Honda has carried forward the same 1.5L i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine with around 119 bhp of peak power and 145 Nm of peak torque, mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-step CVT gearbox options. This is a smooth, refined and vibe-free engine with a raspy note at higher revs.

e:HEV Hybrid version adds EV components like battery pack and motors. The engine in e:HEV version is rated at 98 bhp and 131 Nm and electric motors are rated at 108 bhp and 253 Nm. There is some pure electric driving at low speeds for little distance and then the system also provides boost for the engine whenever necessary.

With Hybrid version, promised fuel efficiency is up to 27.26 km/l and it can go higher than that in optimum hypermiling and city driving conditions. However, real world speeds and driving patterns ensure that the engine is up running all the time, bringing the efficiency much lower than what is advertised. Non-Hybrid version promises 17.97 km/l with CVT and 17.77 km/l with manual.

City has retained all of its mechanicals too, which means it rides exactly the same as before. Ride quality is sorted and the bump absorption is quite nice. Honda does not disclose ground clearance, but it is less than its European rivals. Braking is quite nice with City, especially with the Hybrid version we drove, which comes with all-wheel disc brakes. Non-Hybrid version gets drum brakes at the rear.

Should You Buy One?

Honda City has always been a non-offensive, non-polarising and an easy-to-recommend sedan in India. But the new City facelift has a sportier design which might split opinions among some buyers. The pricing still starts from Rs 12 lakh and goes till Rs 21 lakh (Ex-sh). It is commendable that Honda offers Level-2 ADAS (Honda Sensing) right from the V variant. During our drive around Bengaluru, lane keep assist intervention was inconsistent despite reasonably well-marked roads. Further testing over a longer duration would be needed to draw a definitive conclusion.

The interior feels like a notch below rivals in terms of quality while fit and finish was on par. Infotainment and instrumentation is a couple of notches below rivals. Overall equipment is also a notch or two below rivals. Rivals offer Turbo Petrol engine options (most as standard). Even comfort quotient is not all that good as rivals are offering ventilated seats, powered seats, electric boss mode, better audio system, infotainment, instrumentation and more.

Rivals are also up to Rs 2 lakh cheaper at the base and up to Rs 3 lakh cheaper at the top. That said, Honda City is the only one to offer a Strong Hybrid powertrain. Even with its sportier fascia, it mostly is non-offensive. It does not have any known major problems and has been a tried and tested machine with dependability. If these ethos meet your buying decisions, Honda City facelift should be high up your wishlist. If you were already in the market for a City, City facelift costs the same as its predecessor, with extra equipment.